Fire protection device of an electric installation starter-controller device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9526929-B2
Application number	US-201414555845-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 28, 2014
Priority date	Dec 2, 2013
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

The invention relates to a fire protection device ( 10 ) for a starter-controller device ( 2 ) of an electrical installation, the starter-controller device ( 2 ) comprising at least one connection terminal, each connection terminal being adapted to be connected to an electrical conductor, the protection device ( 10 ) comprising thermal monitoring means for the or each electrical conductor adapted to detect a temperature increase, at each connection terminal, above a predetermined threshold. This protection device is suitable for being mechanically fastened to the starter-controller device ( 2 ) via at least one mechanical connection member ( 16 ). The thermal monitoring means comprise at least one temperature sensor ( 36 a, 36 b, 36 c ) able to sense a temperature in a first hollow housing ( 8 a, 8 b, 8 c ) of the starter-controller device ( 2 ) situated near a connection terminal of a conductor. This protection device further includes an injection device ( 30 ), electrically connected to said at least one temperature sensor ( 36 a, 36 b, 36 c ), adapted to inject a fire extinguishing agent toward the first hollow housing(s) ( 8 a, 8 b, 8 c ) once the temperature sensor ( 36 a, 36 b, 36 c ) has detected a temperature above the predetermined threshold.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fire protection device for a starter-controller device of an electrical installation, the starter-controller device comprising at least one connection terminal, each connection terminal being connectable to an electrical conductor, the protection device comprising:
thermal monitoring sensors, for each electrical conductor, which are able to detect a temperature increase, at each connection terminal, to above a predetermined threshold,
wherein the fire protection device is mechanically fastenable to the starter-controller device via at least one mechanical connection member,
wherein the thermal monitoring sensors comprise one or more temperature sensors able to sense a temperature in first one or more hollow housings of the starter-controller device situated near a connection terminal of a conductor, the fire protection device including an injection device, electrically connected to said one or more temperature sensors, configured to inject a fire extinguishing agent toward the first one or more hollow housings once the one or more temperature sensors have detected a temperature above the predetermined threshold, and
wherein the fire protection device further comprises a trigger element, kept in a first idle position by a fastening piston as long as the one or more temperature sensors indicate a temperature below the predetermined threshold, said trigger element is able to move toward a second locking position when the fastening piston moves away from the trigger element, the movement of the fastening piston from a contact position with said trigger element to a non-contact position with said trigger element being done following the release of the fire extinguishing agent.

2. The protection device according to claim 1 , wherein the injection device includes a cartridge containing said fire extinguishing agent, a striker element able to pierce said cartridge to release contents of the cartridge, the striker element being electrically connected to said one or more temperature sensors, and one or more injection orifices able to inject said fire extinguishing agent, each of the one or more injection orifices being configured to be embedded in the first one or more hollow housings of the starter-controller device situated near the connection terminal of said starter-controller device.

3. The protection device according to claim 1 , further including a mobile contact holder element and an electrical connection control connecting element protruding on a face of the protection device, said mobile contact holder element being mechanically connected to said electrical connection control connecting element, the electrical connection control connecting element being configured to plug into a second housing of the starter-controller device and actuate a connection/disconnection mechanism of each electrical conductor in the corresponding connection terminal, said trigger element being able, when it is in the second locked position, to fasten the mobile contact holder element to keep the electrical connection control connecting element in the disconnected position of each electrical conductor in the corresponding connection terminal.

4. The protection device according to claim 3 , wherein, when each electrical conductor of the starter-controller device is connected in the corresponding connection terminal, the trigger element is able, when it moves from the first idle position to the second locked position, to move the mobile contact holder element to drive a movement of the electrical connection control connecting element resulting in driving a disconnection of each electrical conductor in the corresponding connection terminal.

5. The protection device according to claim 1 , including a pair of auxiliary electrical contacts, each pair of auxiliary electrical contacts being made up of a fixed auxiliary contact and a corresponding moving auxiliary contact, the moving auxiliary contact being configured to disconnect from the corresponding fixed auxiliary contact following the release of fire extinguishing agents thereby triggering the transmission of operating information from said protection device.

6. The protection device according to claim 1 , wherein said fire extinguishing agent is a gas or foam.

7. The protection device according to claim 1 , wherein said predetermined temperature threshold is 110° C.

8. A fire protection system of an electrical installation, comprising a starter-controller device for the electrical installation and a fire protection device according to claim 1 , the fire protection device being configured to be fastened to the starter-controller device.

9. The fire protection system according to claim 8 , wherein the fire protection device can be fastened on a side face of the starter-controller device.

10. The fire protection system according to claim 8 , wherein the starter-controller device comprises a control member for connecting electrical conductors in the connection terminals and the fire protection device comprises an electrical connection control connecting element configured to control said control member.

11. A fire protection device for a starter-controller device of an electrical installation, the starter-controller device comprising at least one connection terminal, each connection terminal being connectable to an electrical conductor, the protection device comprising:
thermal monitoring means for each electrical conductor, which are able to detect a temperature increase, at each connection terminal, to above a predetermined threshold,
wherein the fire protection device is mechanically fastenable to the starter-controller device via at least one mechanical connection member,
wherein the thermal monitoring means is a means for sensing a temperature in first one or more hollow housings of the starter-controller device situated near a connection terminal of a conductor, the fire protection device including an injection device, electrically connected to said one or more temperature sensors, configured to inject a fire extinguishing agent toward the first one or more hollow housings once the one or more temperature sensors have detected a temperature above the predetermined threshold, and
wherein the fire protection device further comprises a trigger element, kept in a first idle position by a fastening piston as long as the one or more temperature sensors indicates a temperature below the predetermined threshold, the movement of the fastening piston from a contact position with said trigger element to a non-contact position with said trigger element being done following the release of the fire extinguishing agent.

Assignees

• Schneider Electric Ind Sas

Inventors

• Dedina Gregory
• Loiacono Bernard

Classifications

• A62C37/40

  with electric connection between sensor and actuator · CPC title

• H01H2239/06

  Temperature sensitive · CPC title

• H01H2071/0278

  with at least one of juxtaposed casings dedicated to an auxiliary device, e.g. for undervoltage or shunt trip · CPC title

• H01H2071/0292

  Housing or frames containing grooves or slots for guiding movable parts · CPC title

• H01H35/38

  actuated by piston and cylinder · CPC title